Italian Game · 1900
Anastasia’s Mate
Teaching line — A knight on e7 takes away g6 and g8, and the rook does the rest.
LevelIntermediateElo900–1100ThemeMating netsMoves10
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Moves · tap to jump
0/190/19
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Starting position
Ready
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Main lesson
Mating nets are built by taking away squares, not by giving checks.
What your student should learn
- Mating nets are built by taking squares away.
- Knight plus rook is a mating team.
- The opponent's own pawns often help you.
- Sacrifices can open the file you need.
Mini tournament checklist
- ✓ Which squares around their king are already blocked?
- ✓ Can my knight take away the last two?
- ✓ Do I have a rook for the open file?
- ✓ Is the sacrifice needed to open that file?
Run through this list before you start an attack in a real game. Mostly yes means look for tactics; otherwise improve one more piece first.
Full move list
A Quiet Italian
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The h7 Sacrifice
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Anastasia’s Mate
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Note: Ask which two squares the knight is covering — that is the whole pattern.